Although Keiko Agena said she and Alexis Bledel weren't friends while filming Gilmore Girls, according to Entertainment Weekly, fans love the friendship between Lane Kim and Rory Gilmore. The characters have been close since childhood and navigate high school and beyond together, chatting about everything from music to dating to family conflict.
Lane's story in the Netflix revival A Year In The Life might be disappointing, as her music career hasn't gotten to the place where fans thought that it would. But over all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls, Lane says many intelligent quotes that show viewers that she is a perceptive and clever character.
Lane Tells It Like It Is
Rory: "Taylor thinks I'm casing the place. Like I would ever shoplift there."
Lane: "You have shoplifted there."
Many of the main and side characters on Gilmore Girls are pretty blunt, as they believe in honesty, even if it can be a bit tough and harsh to hear. Lane spends much of her childhood and teenage years lying to her mom about her real hobbies and interests, so sometimes when she's talking to Rory, Lane tells it exactly like it is.
When Rory says that she wouldn't steal anything from Doose's Market, Lane wisely reminds Rory of when, back in season 1, Dean kissed her and she thanked him, taking some cornstarch from one of the store's shelves.
Lane Comes Home From Korea
"I guess I kind of overreacted."
Lane travels to Korea at the start of season 2, and since her mom gives her a one-way ticket, she's nervous that she will be staying there for a while. Lane's visit is one of the best trips on Gilmore Girls as she has fun and gains confidence.
When Lane comes home and tells Rory that it was a great time, Lane admits that she got too worried. Rory jokes that Lane was definitely really concerned. Lane shows her intelligence as she knows now that worrying about something that might not happen causes unnecessary pain.
Lane Talks To Rory About Getting Hit By A Deer
"I don't know. I don't know what to ask after you've been hit by a deer."
After missing her English test and driving back home to Stars Hollow, a deer hits Rory's car, and she tells Lane about it, frantic about the situation. Lane keeps asking if that's what really happened and then admits that she isn't sure what to say.
Lane is totally right here, as it's hard to know how to respond to such a quirky statement. It's admirable that Lane says what she's thinking and feeling, even when a situation is strange and confusing.
Lane Jokes About Meeting Paris
"Wow, you didn't exaggerate."
When Lane meets Paris Geller for the first time, she tells Rory that she explained how tough Paris is exactly, and Rory replies, "Paris needs no embellishment."
Lane always listens to her gut instincts, especially about people. Lane realizes right away that Paris can be cold, intimidating, and difficult to like. This is also a funny quote since later in the series, Lane, Paris, and Rory will connect with each other as they drink too much punch at a festival and talk about dating problems.
Lane Writes A Very Long Band Ad
"But this is the cut-down version. I mean, just from the letter A, I excluded AC/DC, the Animals, and A-Ha, footnoted as a guilty pleasure."
Lane acts like a teenager on Gilmore Girls in many ways, but she shows a real talent for music and her knowledge of bands is impressive. In one hilarious scene, Lane wants to put out an ad for band members, and Rory tells her that she should cut it down because she has listed her musical influences alphabetically.
Since Lane has put so much time, thought, and effort into this project, it's clear that she's intelligent and careful about everything that she does, especially when she's passionate about something.
Lane Gives Rory Great Advice
"You'll figure out how to get better. Rory, the reason everyone thinks you're gonna do an amazing job is because everybody knows you. Yeah, you're gonna be nervous."
The series finale "Bon Voyage" sees Rory leaving Stars Hollow to write about Barack Obama's campaign, and when she shares with Lane that she's scared, Lane lets her know that everyone is nervous when starting something new.
Lane shows how smart she is when she gives Rory the exact pep talk that she needs in this moment. Lane can also see that Rory is a gifted writer and that she's going to be so excited once she goes out on the road and starts writing about something that she cares about.
Lane Adds Up The Money The Band Made On Tour
"Think about what we can do with the money. We can record, make a CD. Nirvana made 'Bleach' for $600. Even factoring in inflation, if we're on our game, we could make 'Bleach' 10 times over."
Zack and Lane's Gilmore Girls romance works so well because they're both in the same band. When Hep Alien comes home from a summer tour in the season 6 episode "The UnGraduate," Lane does the math and figures out that they made $9,000.
Lane is not only mature and responsible here, but she also thinks about what the band can do with the money, namely make their first album. Lane is both practical and smart, wanting her band members to know that she's looking out for them and their dreams.
Lane Wants A Job At Luke's Diner
"Luke's is one of the few Mrs. Kim-approved places... I totally need the money, and instead I get to return a box of doughnuts once a day."
For most of her life, Lane navigates making herself happy and respecting her mom's wishes. When she realizes that Luke wants to hire someone at the diner, Lane realizes that she can solve a few problems. Lane wants a job and she also wants to make sure that her mom is happy with the position she has taken on.
Working at Luke's diner becomes an important part of Lane's life, giving her more confidence, independence, and helping her become more of an adult. Lane is smart and knows that this job will be good for her.
Lane Idolizes Sophie Bloom
"I think this is amazing! Because I want to do more than just drum. I would like to write and compose and I was wondering if we could sit down sometime and just talk about music, because I think you have so much you can pass on to me."
Several famous guest stars appeared on Gilmore Girls, including Carol King as music shop owner Sophie Bloom. When Lane asks for a job at the store, she mentions that she will have to hide this from Mrs. Kim but also asks Sophie for some advice.
Lane wisely goes for what she wants, and while she knows that Sophie could definitely say no and that would be that, Lane believes in herself and her music dream enough to try. This is one of Lane's most inspiring moments.
Lane Understands Rory And Lorelai's Bond
"You and Lorelai have gone too many years without fighting. So you had to have one big fight to make up for it. Now you've had it, and soon you'll make up and then this will all be just your lost weekend."
When Rory is upset about arguing with Lorelai, Lane shows her intelligence by explaining that it's not as big of a deal as Rory thinks. While of course Rory is hurt, Rory and Lorelai have always had a happy and relatively stress-free relationship, and it makes sense that something would happen to change that at some point.
Lane knows that Rory needs to be comforted right now, and she also knows that Rory needs to hear that the conflict isn't going to last.